REM sleep behaviour disorder is a fairly common but potentially serious sleep condition. Rather than resting and rejuvenating during the REM sleep cycle, people with REM sleep disorder act and voice out the dreams that they are experiencing. While this may not seem like a big deal, it is very disruptive to your sleep, and you risk hurting yourself or someone sleeping with you because of your movements and motions.
In most cases, people do not develop REM sleep behaviour disorder until later in life, and it is associated with cognitive health conditions such as Parkinson’s and Dementia. While receiving treatment for REM sleep behaviour disorder will not prevent these conditions from happening, it will protect you and your sleep partner from potential injury.
Although it is not a cure for REM sleep behaviour disorder, taking precautions in the bedroom can protect you and your partner when the disorder hits and you start acting out your dreams. Here are a few suggestions.
As far as actually treating REM sleep behaviour disorder, medications are the treatment of choice. Currently, there are two preferred medications to treat the condition, plus a third option.
Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally found in the body. It induces feelings of drowsiness and tiredness and becomes active at night when it is time to sleep. However, it is possible that your brain does not release enough melatonin to make you sleepy. If this happens, your doctor may recommend taking a melatonin supplement to increase the amount of the hormone in your system.
Melatonin is the preferred treatment for REM sleep behaviour disorder because it is not addictive. It also does not have many side effects and is available over the counter.
Depending on the severity of your condition, melatonin may not be powerful enough to fix it. If this is the case, you will need to take clonazepam, which is a powerful sedative. Although doctors do not know exactly why, clonazepam has enough potency to put people into deep enough of sleep to keep them from having dreams and nightmares. This prevents the possibility of acting out your dreams, which is what happens with REM sleep behaviour disorder.
Finally, you also have the option of taking pramipexole, which is a dopamine agonist. By increasing the amount of dopamine in your system, it can induce deeper sleep and prevent REM sleep behaviour disorder. While it is typically used to treat Parkinson’s, restless leg syndrome, and similar conditions, recent studies show that it could be useful in treating REM sleep behaviour disorder as well.
While no one knows exactly what causes REM sleep behaviour disorder, many suspect that there are triggers to the condition. As such, there is a chance that you can prevent the disorder from happening by avoiding things like alcohol, drugs, and caffeine, which could stimulate your system. It is also a good idea to limit your screen time at night, exercise daily, and eat a healthy diet.
While REM sleep behaviour disorder is not considered dangerous or life-threatening in and of itself, wild motions and behaviours in your sleep can result in injury to you or your sleep partner. Therefore, it is important to seek the appropriate diagnosis and treatment to protect you and your loved one. While there is no definite cure for REM sleep behaviour disorder, treatments can help limit your episodes.